Mandragora

An unfailingly bleak look at teenage male prostitution in Prague, Mandragora goes beyond political commentary to present a deeply affecting story about the fragility of youth and the tragedy of bad decisions. David Svec, an extraordinarily handsome actor who projects the innocence and vulnerability critical to his role, is a typical teenager who leaves home after an argument with his father only to be snagged into prostitution just minutes after arriving at the train station. Things appear to look up when he is befriended by Marek (played by Miroslav Caslavka), a 'worldly' prostitute with a year's experience under his belt, but their responses to every pivotal decision (Should they leave prostitution? Become pimps? Mug an elderly woman? Rob a customer? Do drugs?) remind us that these boys are, after all, still children. As David, in despair over his broken life, enters his final descent, his father travels to Prague to find him, and we watch their heartbreaking journeys in tandem. Though Mandragora unblinkingly deals with very raw issues, director Wiktor Grodecki wisely reserves most of the shocks for the last thirty minutes, where graphic depictions of David's downfall hammer home the tragic drama. Although definitely not for children, some teenagers, and certainly their parents, would benefit from this movie. Aside from a few poorly-edited subtitles, this is strongly recommended. (K. G. Schneider)